


No Bars

by RockSunner



Series: Smart Adversaries AU [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bittersweet Ending, Chat Noir Reveal, Episode: s01 Lady Wifi, F/M, Heroes with bad publicity, Identity Reveal, Ladybug Reveal, Ladybug!Adrien, Manbug, On the Run, Peacock!Adrien, Peacock!Emilie Agreste, Vampire!Emilie Agreste
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-06 14:23:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14058882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RockSunner/pseuds/RockSunner
Summary: When Lady Wi-Fi had Ladybug's hands locked to the wall, Hawk Moth told her to force Ladybug to use her Lucky Charm and time out, in order to see her identity. What if he had given her more sensible directions? Some spoilers for the second season of Miraculous Ladybug.





	1. Locked

"Who is Ladybug? Is she a superhero or a super-weirdo? How can we trust the girl when we have no idea who she really is? We have the right to know!" said Lady Wi-Fi.

Lady Wi-Fi tried to pull off the mask. Ladybug couldn't stop her, with her hands locked to the wall. Her face was pulled and stretched but the mask didn't come off.

"Why doesn't it come off?"

"Ummm... because it's magic?"

Chat Noir popped out of the service elevator. "You're out of minutes, Lady Wi-Fi!"

"Oh, how romantic. Tomcat's come to save his love bug," said Lady Wi-Fi.

"I am not his love bug!" said Ladybug indignantly.

"We'll come back to that later," said Chat Noir.

Lady Wi-Fi sent icon after icon after him, finally knocking him into the freezer room and locking him in.

Ladybug saw a butterfly-shaped line of light around Lady Wi-Fi's eyes. Lady Wi-Fi nodded, and came toward Ladybug with an evil smirk.

"Now Hawk Moth will get what he wants and everyone will see who you really are."

"She's going to take my earrings!" Ladybug thought. "The whole world is going to see who I am, and my life as I know it will be over!"

There was one chance. Lady Wi-Fi was still holding her cell phone in her right hand as she got closer. Ladybug tried not to give herself away by looking at it. If Lady Wi-Fi realized what she was planning, she would back up and lock down her legs, too.

Lady Wi-Fi closed in without thinking about Ladybug's free legs, just as she had when she tried to pull off the mask. Ladybug gave a hard snap kick. The cell phone flew from Lady Wi-Fi's hand and smashed hard against the side wall of the kitchen. It broke, and the akuma butterfly flew out.

Lady Wi-Fi collapsed to the floor. She was covered with purple energy for a moment, and then transformed back into Alya. As usual, the akuma victim was stunned. She wouldn't get up until somebody roused her, or the Miraculous Ladybug charm fully fixed her.

Ladybug found that she still couldn't move her hands. The stop icons were still on, part of the akuma's magical damage. All the locks and pauses must still be up everywhere.

"Chat Noir, can you get yourself out of the freezer? I've stopped Lady Wi-Fi but I can't get my hands free."

"I c-can Cataclysm my way out, just give me a m-minute," said Chat Noir in a shivering voice.

"Please hurry. The Akuma butterfly is free. I don't want it to escape, or multiply and turn me into a frozen copy of Lady Wi-Fi."

"Found my ring," said Chat Noir. "Plagg, claws out! Cataclysm!"

The freezer door disintegrated. Chat ducked under the floating lock icon and came over to Ladybug. He was shivering, holding his arms around himself.

"That's quite a lock spell the broad cast on you. How are you going to catch the akuma with your hands like that?" asked Chat.

"I can't," said Ladybug. "You're going to have to take my earrings, turn into Ladybug, and do it yourself."

"What? But I'll see your face," said Chat Noir.

"That can't be helped," said Ladybug. "But you'll have to block that video icon up there, so only you see me and not the whole world."

Chat Noir found a tablecloth in one of the kitchen drawers. He tried to throw it over the icon, but it fell to the floor.

"It won't hold up the cloth. It's not solid," said Chat. "How about this?"

He extended his staff until it touched two walls. He put the cloth over that to form a curtain, blocking the view of the camera.

"No, think ahead," said Ladybug. You'll have to de-transform to use my powers. The staff will disappear, the curtain will fall, and everyone will see my face."

Chat nodded, took down his staff, and fastened the curtain to the ceiling with two kitchen skewers instead.

Chat came over to take the earrings, with a large towel in hand. "I'll put this over your face first."

"Chances are we don't know each other in regular life, but just in case you recognize me, don't say my name out loud. The audio is still on," said Ladybug.

Chat gently placed the towel over her head, reached under it, and removed the earrings. Marinette heard him give a gasp of recognition, but he didn't blurt out a name.

"He must know me well enough that my clothes gave me away," she thought.

Chat de-transformed and put on the earrings. (Fortunately they fastened by magic without any need for piercing.)

"Say: Tikki, spots on."

"Tikki, spots on."

"All right, I'm Manbug," he said a few seconds later.

"There are male ladybugs in the world, you know," said Marinette.

"I prefer to keep my dignity. I'm glad you can't see me in this spotted costume."

She guided him through the steps of capturing and purifying the akuma using the yo-yo.

"Bye-bye, little butterfly," Manbug muttered sheepishly as he released the purified akuma.

"Now you need the Miraculous Ladybug charm," said Marinette.

"I don't have anything to throw into the air," said Manbug.

"Cast Lucky Charm first," said Marinette. "It doesn't matter what you get because Lady Wi-Fi is already defeated."

"Lucky Charm! I got a rubber ball."

"Good enough for a throw. We'd better cover Alya with another tablecloth or something first. I need to run before she sees me here."

"All right. Be prepared to run as soon as you have no bars. Miraculous Ladybug!"

As soon as she was freed from the lock icons, Marinette pulled off the towel and ran for the exit. She caught just a glimpse of her partner in his skin-tight spotted suit. It didn't matter if he got a look at her face, since she was sure he already knew who she was.

She hid in a nearby closet. Behind her she could hear Alya calling out, "Hey, where am I? Who put a cloth over me?"

After Alya left, Manbug came out of hiding also.

"M'Lady, where are you? I need to return your earrings. I'm not transformed. Come out, and you can see who I am."

"I'm in this closet," called Marinette. "Just open the door a crack and pass the earrings in. I won't look at you."

"It's only fair that you know who I am since I know who you are."

"No, I messed up and got myself captured. I'm at more risk now, but you don't have to be."

"I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Unless you get akumatized or fall under the spell of a villain who controls minds. Or blurt out my name when we're in the heat of combat."

"Not very likely. I'm pretty resistant to depression and there hasn't been a mind-controller yet. And I'll be careful not to use your real name."

"When Lady Wi-Fi was about to expose my identity to the world I realized how much it would mess up my life. It would be horrible. Paparazzi at my door, villains after my family all the time. We'd have to go into hiding. Of course I'd have to give up being Ladybug. I probably should give that up now, anyway."

"No! Don't give up. Someone has to fight the akumas and fix all the damage."

"You can keep the earrings and be Manbug."

"I couldn't do it alone. I need a partner."

"Then find someone else to be Ladybug."

"Don't put that on me. I don't know anyone I could trust like you. Maybe you know someone."

"Not really… I had someone in mind once before but I don't think it would work now." ("Now that Alya was just akumatized," she thought.)

"I'm going to leave the earrings outside the closet door. Think about it really hard before you give up. I need you to keep being Ladybug." His voice had desperation in it.

Marinette heard him walking away, and when she was sure he was gone, she came out. She picked up the earrings and put them back on.

"Tikki, what should I do? I messed up so badly this time. We're at risk now."

"We've always been at risk – this is not much worse. You are the chosen one for me," said the little kwami. "Don't give up."

"All right," said Marinette. "I'll keep going... for now."


	2. Valentine's Day

Adrien started to cultivate Marinette's friendship at school. At first, when he said "Good morning" she would say something like "Adrien! Guh - morging! Uh.. Morn gooding." But after a while she got used to him and was able to say complete sentences without stuttering.

Adrien started inviting Marinette out, often with Nino as his wingman and Ayla as hers. The double dates eventually lead Alya and Nino to discover they had a lot in common, and those two started dating. Adrien was taking it slow with Marinette, gradually easing her from a crushing fangirl to a friend to hopefully a girlfriend.

As Chat Noir, he flirted a little less with Ladybug, since he knew he could court her real self and be better accepted. The fact that he knew her secret identity and she didn't know his caused her to put a bit more distance between them. It was good that things were relatively quiet during the Fall and Winter.

Marinette got on a survivalist kick. She got all her friends to make "bug-out" kits, with all sorts of supplies to survive for three days alone, and to allow a quick evacuation from town.

"What if Hawk Moth got a really bad akuma to shut off all the power in Paris, and Ladybug wasn't able to stop it for a few days? Could we survive? Damage is usually fixed by the Miraculous Ladybug charm, but wouldn't it be best to be prepared? At least a person would suffer less while waiting."

* * *

Things took an odder turn at school after Winter Break. Marinette started spending more time with the class nerd, Max Kanté. Adrien couldn't believe this was a new crush. He tried not to be jealous, but he was a little.

Adrien decided to make a confession of love to Marinette. Valentines Day was upon them, so he wrote a love poem:

"Your hair is dark as night, your pretty bluebell eyes,  
I love to see you smile. It makes my spirits rise.  
Every day we see each other and I hope that you'll be mine.  
Together our love could be so true.  
Please, will you be my Valentine?"

It seemed weak, especially the second line. He crumbled it into a ball and threw it into the trash at the end of his first period class (Miss Bustier's class, which was just covering the effect of True Love's Kiss in fairy tales).

* * *

Marinette retrieved the discarded letter and realized it was for her. She was happily reading it over and over while walking beside Alya when they ran into Max and Kim plotting something together.

"Operation Valentine's Day is commencing," said Max. "According to my extensive research and cross-referencing of online shopping sites, this particular jewel was ranked highest in popularity."

Max handed the box to Kim.

Kim said, "That's perfect, Max! I better hit a home run with this one. Love is like baseball, right? You gotta have a strategy or you'll strike out. But if you aim right, you'll hit it out of the ball park. Score!"

Marinette thought it was rather icky if he was talking about a girl. Max, however, said it was a perfect metaphor. Alya pretended to think the jewelry was for her.

"Negative, Alya," said Max. "The recipient of this gem has already been determined, it's-"

"Shh! Keep it on the down-low!" said Kim.

"Scoop! Kim's got a major crush!" said Alya, taking a picture. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"It's gorgeous Kim. She's gonna be ecstatic!" said Marinette.

"Technically, she's still gotta accept it," said Kim. He grabbed Max. "What if she says 'no'?"

"She won't Kim, no way!" said Marinette. "Go for it and don't hold back, no regrets."

"Operation Valentine's Day is underway!" said Kim.

Following a map Max provided, Kim jogged away.

"Max, if your plans work as well for him as what you and Markov did to help my project, it will be a great success," said Marinette.

"Thank you, I'm glad we could help," said Max.

"Markov?" asked Alya.

"A friend of Max," said Marinette.

"I'd rather you didn't tell everyone about him yet," said Max.

"Ooh, I get the picture," said Alya. "Okay, there goes Adrien to his car. Are you going to follow your own advice and go for it, Marinette?"

"You're right. It's time I told him," said Marinette to Alya's great surprise. "I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna tell Adrien my true feelings. Well... I'm gonna write them, on a card, that is."

The girls fist-bumped, shouted "Operation Valentine's Day!" and ran off giggling.

* * *

Kim's attempt did not go well. Chloe not only rejected him, but sent out to everyone a photo of him with a potato-chip bag stuck on his face. Akumatization followed at once, and Dark Cupid was born. He flew around the city, his arrows turning love to hate.

Ladybug confronted him, "Stop, Kim!"

"I'm not Kim, I'm Dark Cupid! I'll never stop! If I can't have love, then no one can!"

"Okay, Dark Cupid, I get it. Chloe totally burned you. But that doesn't mean you have to take it out on all of Paris!"

"Oh yes, I do! I won't stop until everyone's heart is crushed. Say adios to your loved ones. From now on, you'll hate them!"

Dark Cupid shot a volley of arrows at Ladybug, which she dodged using her yo-yo. After being worn out by too many arrows, she slipped and dangled from a roof gutter. Dark Cupid wasn't expecting the slip and he temporarily lost track of her.

Chat Noir hopped up onto a nearby flagpole. "Rolled a gutter-ball, Bugaboo? How about a spare hero to help you strike?"

Ladybug jumped down beside him. "Chat Noir, you can't be in this fight! Dark Cupid turns love to hate. And... watch out!"

Ladybug dived at Chat to block the arrow coming toward him, but he caught her and spun around to take the shot in his back.

"Ladybug, I loathe you!" said the black-lipped Chat Noir.

* * *

After a chase and a reversal when she tried to kiss Chat, Ladybug found herself pinned down by Chat with his right hand in a black glow for a Cataclysm.

"Take her Miraculous," Hawk Moth directed through Dark Cupid.

"With pleasure! Now everyone will see who you are, Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Your little secret is out of the bag!"

Ladybug was ready. In spite of the horror of what he had just told Hawk Moth, Ladybug gave Chat a kiss. He woke from the spell, with no memory of what happened.

"Chat, his quiver pin!" she said, and threw him at Dark Cupid.

The Cataclysm dissolved the quiver strap, freeing the pin. Chat Noir threw the pin to Ladybug, who crushed it and purified the butterfly as usual. The Miraculous Ladybug charm returned everyone to normal.

"Pound it," said Chat, but Ladybug shook her head.

"You exposed my identity while under Dark Cupid's influence. You should have let me take the hit. I couldn't expose you. It's over."

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to."

Ladybug took off her earrings. "Tikki, I renounce you and give you to your new master, Manbug."

Marinette handed the earrings to Chat. "Goodbye. You're about to time out. Don't lose the one secret identity we still have left."

"Goodbye, Marinette.I love you."

"Wish I could say the same, but I can't now."

Marinette ran. She opened her cell phone as she ran and brought up a special app that Markov had installed. "Operation Bug-Out is commencing" she said into the phone. "Manbug variation."


	3. Messages

Dearest Maman and Papa,

I have been keeping a secret from you: I was Ladybug. Please believe me, this is not a joke.

If you are reading this text message then I have lost my secret identity. It may be on the news or maybe only Hawk Moth knows. Either way, we are in big trouble.

The most important thing is that you have to get out of the bakery and house immediately. Hawk Moth will very likely send an akuma after you, either a butterfly or a villain. Grab the bug-out kits that we prepared. Get on any fast transport you can. An akuma butterfly can track you by your emotions but it can't fly very fast.

I'm very sorry to do this to you. It's because of my carelessness that I got exposed. I'm going into hiding -- I can't give you any details in case you're akumatized right now. Chat Noir or the new Ladybug ("Manbug") will get you information if he can.

I love you so much, and I'm so sorry. Please be safe, don't worry, and don't get evilized!

With love,  
Marinette

* * *

Chat Noir saw there was a message on his baton phone, but he was about to time out. He got to a safe location to de-transform and feed Plagg.

"So, you blew it, didn't you, kid?" said Plagg as he munched on the cheese Adrien had packed in a baggie for him. "These things happen."

"I can't believe it. I betrayed Ladybug under the influence of an akumatized villain," said Adrien. "I need to go after Marinette and help her."

Adrien put the earrings that Marinette had turned over to him into his pants pocket.

"Enough cheese. Plagg, claws out!"

Plagg gulped down the last of his meal as he was dragged back into the ring. Chat Noir pushed the button to play the message from Ladybug.

* * *

"Chat, this is a pre-recorded message in case my secret identity gets exposed. Don't worry if it was your doing -I trust that you didn't mean to. Don't try to find me right now. There are more important things to do.

"My family and all my friends are at risk from Hawk Moth. A smart friend helped me to set up a message broadcasting app so they will all get warned. Adrien may need help to escape from his house if he's there. Please make that your first priority. You can pause this and listen to the rest after Adrien is safe.

"The second thing is dealing with Hawk Moth as quickly as possible. The longer he's active the more harm he can do to me, my family, my friends, and Paris. I think I've figured out who he is. I could be wrong, but let me tell you the clues.

"You notice how Hawk Moth hasn't been very active during the Fall and Winter? We had Stoneheart at the beginning of the school year, then Bubbler and Lady Wi-Fi later in September, the Jack-O'-Lantern at Halloween, and Santa Claws at Christmas. Not very many villains. That's because he uses real butterflies to deliver his evil and they don't do well in cold weather. I think he will try a lot more when the weather gets better, if he isn't caught.

"A smart friend helped me do the math on the cases where we have accurate time and location information. I know when Ivan got angry the first time, because I was in class when Kim teased him. We know he turned to Stoneheart right outside Principal Damocles' office, because he placed an emergency call. My friend calculated how fast a butterfly flies. We drew a circle of places the butterfly could have started from, Hawk Moth's location. He's close to the school, which makes sense because he has chosen multiple victims from there.

"We also have good timing on Alya. She left the school, upset at being expelled, just as I was arriving. I was watching the time because I was late. We know when she was akumatized because she started a pirate broadcast right away. That timing is about the same as Ivan.

"We don't have good timings on Jack-O'-Lantern, so I'll skip him.

"Hawk Moth gave us the tightest circle of all with Santa Claws. I was there as Ladybug when 'Santa' got upset, when I accused him of being a supervillain at the gates of the Agreste mansion. He drove about a block away before I pulled him out of the sleigh with my yo-yo. That's when he got really angry. I tried to apologize, but he wouldn't accept it. I swung up to a rooftop, and a second later Santa Claws called me out.

"The timing is tight. The sleigh was driven into a neighborhood with lots of houses and apartments close together. Hawk Moth couldn't have his lair in a busy neighborhood like that because people might see the black butterflies coming out of his window. The only place close enough is the Agreste mansion, which has a wall around the front. The other circles intersect at the same place - Hawk Moth is working from there.

"I believe Gabriel Agreste, the fashion designer, is Hawk Moth. He's a secretive man. I also noticed that his brand logo looks like a butterfly. I was afraid for a little while that it was Adrien, but he was in class when Alya was akumatized. I just can't believe he knows his father is Hawk Moth and is working with him. Adrien is too good for that.

"I can't accuse Mr. Agreste without more proof. He seems to like to strike on holidays, so I'm expecting something big on Valentine's Day. I'm keeping this message updated to pass along in case something happens to me, or my identity is exposed.

"It's up to you now, Manbug. If I were you I would stake out the mansion and watch for butterflies coming out. I hope you can catch him quickly.

"One more thing. I've given Tikki some instructions to help Adrien find me, if he wants to. Make sure he's in a secure place and not about to be evilized or anything when you tell him.

"I'm leaving Paris in your capable hands. I'm going to stay in hiding for a while. After Hawk Moth is caught, and things cool down, I may be back. Or I may start a new life... maybe with the guy I love.

"Thank you for everything, Chat. You've been a great partner and friend. Goodbye."

* * *

"My father... Hawk Moth? He can't be..." said Chat Noir after hearing the message. He de-transformed.

"Plagg, what do you think? Could my father be Hawk Moth?"

"Possible. I've sensed some weird energies around that place, never enough to be sure."

"And you never told me?"

"Food's always the priority with me, you know. Why make waves?"

Adrien bought a cookie for Tikki at a coffee shop, and summoned her while he was inside the restroom.

"Adrien? I didn't know you would be my new master," said Tikki. "It makes getting messages to you simple. You should read the text message from her first."

Adrien opened the text message from Marinette.

* * *

Dear Adrien,

I have been keeping a secret from you: I was Ladybug. Please believe me, this is not a joke.

If you are reading this text message then I have lost my secret identity. It may be on the news or maybe only Hawk Moth knows. Either way, we are in big trouble. We have to assume he knows we are friends and he will try to get at me through you.

If you aren't at home when you get this, don't go home. If you are at home and can get out easily, do it. If you are being guarded, wait for help from Chat Noir.

I have a good idea who Hawk Moth is, and it's someone very close to you - your father, Gabriel Agreste. Don't ask him about this. I don't know if he would hurt you, but it's a bad idea to take the risk.

I am leaving town and going into hiding. A smart friend helped me to set up a hidden cache with disguises and new identity papers. I have some for you, too. I may be crazy, but I am hoping you will join me. If your father is Hawk Moth, things are going to become very unpleasant for you in Paris once he's caught. I know you're innocent, but people will assume you were part of his schemes. The Gabriel brand will suffer, and your career as a model will be over.

I'm planning to start a new life. Will you run away with me? Our relationship can stay at any level you feel comfortable with. I love you. I'm too tongue-tied around you to say it, but that's how I really feel.

This is a limited-time offer. I've left instructions that only the new Ladybug ("Manbug") can access. and I trust him to get them to you safely. If you follow them within twenty-four hours you can catch up with me. Otherwise I'm going to have to move on alone.

Please join me.

With all my love,  
Marinette

* * *

"I have a choice," said Adrien. "I can stay and save Paris, or run away with the girl I love."

"You're a hero," said Tikki. "Maybe you can find a way to do both."


	4. Heart of the Darkness

Adrien said, "My plan is to go and face Hawk Moth right away. I'll defeat him and then go join Marinette."

Plagg said, "Kid, you need more of a plan than that."

"Plagg is right," Tikki said. "Hawk Moth is tricky and you're facing him in his lair."

"All right, do you have any suggestions?" asked Adrien.

"You could get a Lucky Charm ahead of time," said Tikki. "I'll have to recharge again after, but it would be worth it to have a lucky object prepared."

Adrien bought another cookie at the coffee shop and went to a secluded alley.

"Tikki, spots on!" said Adrien, and a few seconds later: "Lucky Charm!"

A spotted box fell into his hands. Manbug opened it.

"A Chat Noir costume? What am I supposed to do with this?"

* * *

Manbug staked out the Agreste mansion. Soon he spotted a panel that irised open at the side of the house. It was cleverly camouflaged so that it was almost invisible when it was closed. Inside it was a large circular window with the central pane missing. He spotted a purple and black butterfly coming out.

"Time to de-evilize!" said Manbug. He swung up, caught the akuma, and purified it before it could hurt anyone. "Bye-bye little butterfly."

Now for Hawk Moth – he could hear him cursing Ladybug from out here. Manbug swung inside through the open hole in the window and dropped to the floor. White butterflies scattered into the air.

"Nice of you to drop in," said Hawk Moth with a sneer. "I had you covered out there, but this makes things so much easier."

The window panel closed, and gun ports opened in the walls, with guns and missiles pointing at Manbug.

"Oh-oh," said Manbug to himself.

"I wondered how long it would take you to find this place. You were bit faster than I expected," said Hawk Moth. "But of course I was prepared."

Hawk Moth stared at him. "You seem to be a new recruit for the role of Ladybug."

"The name's Manbug."

"An absurd name. I think you're also Cat Noir, in which case you have no partner to back you up. Surrender the earrings now, or die."

Since he could see no way out, Adrien took off the earrings and de-transformed.

"Adrien? I didn't imagine it could be you. This changes my plans," said Hawk Moth. "Come here and hand me the earrings. The ring, too."

Adrien handed them over with a regretful expression.

Hawk Moth said, "Come with me, son. I have something to show you. Or rather, someone."

* * *

Gripping Adrien by the shoulder, Hawk Moth led him to an elevator tube. They went down, then sideways, then up again into another room Adrien had never seen. It was like a chapel, with a bridge over water leading to rows of pew-like seats. At the end of it was a large coffin with a metallic golden hue. There were green plants on both sides, and a closed-off circular window like the one in the other room.

"What is this place?" asked Adrien.

"This was a private chapel belonging to the former owners of this house. It's directly under your bedroom."

Hawk Moth knocked on the top of the coffin. It opened and a woman emerged. Her skin tone was bluish-purple and there were dark mask-like shadows around her eyes. Her hair color was indigo, and a feathery tear-shaped cocktail hat with a pink spot was perched at an angle on her head, with a veil that extended over her right eye. A long purple dress with a train that looked like peacock feathers flowed around her.

"What is going on, darling?" asked the woman.

"Adrien was playing superhero," Hawk Moth explained. "He was Chat Noir, and he just took on the role of Ladybug. That's all over now."

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this, Adrien," said the woman. "This is my form as Le Paon."

"Mom?" asked Adrien.

"I'll tell you all about it. You had best sit down," said Le Paon.

Hawk Moth sat him down in a front-row pew.

"I had better restrain you in case you get the idea to try something foolish," said Hawk Moth. "I'm sorry, but you have violated our trust."

Hawk Moth picked up a roll of duct tape. He fastened Adrien to the pew with several long strips. Adrien tested the bonds and found they were too much for his ordinary strength.

Le Paon said, "The Miraculouses were created in China centuries ago, and protected by a group called the Guardians. Over a hundred years ago, one foolish young Guardian accepted a bribe of a golden bracelet to let an outsider try out the Butterfly Miraculous. An akuma was summoned that destroyed the Guardian's temple. The Guardian escaped with a box containing most of the magic gems, but he lost the Butterfly, the Peacock, and a spellbook that told how to use the Miraculouses. The Peacock Miraculous was handed down in my family."

"Emilie used its healing powers to stay young and beautiful," said Hawk Moth.

"It was very useful as an actress and a model. Did you ever notice how how I looked exactly the same as in my old photos, in spite of having a teen-aged son?" asked Le Paon. "Not any more, sadly."

"What happened?" asked Adrien.

"I wanted more power. There were family legends that the other lost Miraculous and the spellbook were hidden in Tibet."

Hawk Moth said, "We traveled there, and by using the powers of wisdom and observation granted by the Peacock Miraculous, we found the cache. Also, using the wisdom of the Peacock Miraculous we were able to translate the codes in the book - that book over there." (He pointed to a leather-bound book on the opposite pew.)

"Back at home, we tried the spell that would grant immortality to the Peacock holder, a built-in regeneration that I could use even without being transformed. But I didn't realize that it had a curse on a Miraculous holder who had used their powers for selfish ends. Really, just a little bit of regeneration to stay young was counted against me. It's granted me immortality, but as a vampire."

Adrien gasped.

"Don't worry. Your father orders blood for me so I don't have to bite anyone," said Le Paon.

"How.. how much did it change you?" asked Adrien.

"My beautiful face and blond hair were ruined. As you see, my skin turned blue and my hair dark. That's not an effect of the Peacock Miraculous - it doesn't change skin or hair color. I'm only using it now to stay active during the day. Without it, I can only move at night. I'm also a bit less sweet and nice than I used to be. I don't miss that as much as my beauty. I didn't want anyone to see me like this, so I had to pretend to disappear."

Hawk Moth said, "Since then, I have been working to remove Emilie's curse. I used the power of the Butterfly Miraculous to create super-villains so that we could find the Cat and Ladybug Miraculouses. There is another spell in the book if those two Miraculouses are combined. The power of creation and destruction together gives ultimate power to the holder, and a wish can be granted."

"So that's why..." said Adrien, starting to sympathize a little.

"But the wish requires a balance. To take the vampire curse from your mother requires someone else to take on the curse instead," said Hawk Moth. "At first I thought it didn't matter who got it, but a more careful reading of the spellbook made me realize how likely it was to transfer the curse to me, unless I supplied a victim."

"The best candidates are Miraculous holders who have abused their super power for selfish ends," said Le Paon. "We were planning to use both Chat Noir and Ladybug, but now Marinette will have bear the curse alone."

"What? How did Marinette abuse her power?"

"She used the power of creation at your unauthorized birthday party to produce a record with different music she wanted for some reason," said Hawk Moth. "That was caught on our security cameras."

"You, Chat Noir, also abused the power of destruction at Christmas, breaking a billboard pillar in a fit of temper. It was never restored because it was not the result of an akuma. We were informed because it had our advertising on it," said Le Paon.

"We can't use Chat Noir. Now we must capture Marinette," said Hawk Moth.

"We will find her, bring her here, and wish the curse off of me and onto her. Then we will bind her with silver chains and seal her into the coffin to suffer blood hunger forever," said Le Paon.

"No!" said Adrien. "Leave Marinette alone. Please, she doesn't have the Miraculous any more and she's harmless to you!"

"It is a fitting punishment for Ladybug for defying us and rallying Paris against us," said Hawk Moth. "Her example will terrify our enemies as we continue to take over Paris without any heroes to stop us."

"You don't need her. I'll be a vampire for you, Mother," said Adrien.

"If Chat Noir had been some common boy, we would have made both of them vampires, bound them back to back, and stuffed them into the coffin together," said Le Paon.

"You will be disciplined for your wild rebellion, of course, but she will pay for eternity," said Hawk Moth.

"How dare that little trollop of a baker's daughter seduce my son into fighting against his own family?" asked Le Paon.

"We didn't know who Hawk Moth was, or any of this," said Adrien.

"Now that you know our side of the story I am sure you will come to see things our way. It may take time to get over your infatuation, but you will in time," said Hawk Moth.

"Never!" said Adrien.

You won't set foot out of this room until you do," said Hawk Moth.

"Now to business. We have the Miraculouses. We must capture Marinette to complete our plans," said Le Paon.

"Her big scare with Lady Wi-Fi caused her to make better preparations for a secret identity exposure, but we'll still get her," said Hawk Moth. "Either Adrien or her kwami knows how to find her. We can force the kwami to talk more easily since we are now its master."

Le Paon said, "If we wait until nightfall I can get Adrien to turn against her, too. My vampiric mesmerism doesn't work in this form."

Filled with horror and disgust, Adrien had heard enough. "Plagg, grab the Peacock!"

Plagg emerged from his hiding place under the coffin. He flew at Le Paon and pulled off her brooch in her moment of surprise. She stiffened, turning to an ordinary vampire without the power to move during the day. As she started to fall, Hawk Moth caught her. Plagg pulled his Butterfly pin for good measure while his hands were full.

Plagg brought the Peacock brooch to Adrien and put it on him. "Say, 'Duusu, fan out!"

"Duusu, fan out!"

Adrien transformed into a Peacock hero. Instead of a cocktail hat, he had a similarly-colored beret. Instead of a flowing dress, he had an indigo body suit and a feathery cape. A peacock-feather fan was in his right hand. He could tell it was real feathers because they made him sneeze.

He ignored his allergies for the moment and with his enhanced heroic strength he tore free of the tape and decked his father with a punch. He picked up his father and quickly taped him to the pew. He took back the Ladybug earrings.

"How did you control the Black Cat kwami?" Gabriel Agreste asked. "I had the Cat Miraculous."

"You had a fake one from a Halloween costume," said Peacock Adrien. "The real ring was hidden and Plagg was free all the time."

"You could have called on me earlier," Plagg complained.

"I had to know why my father was doing all this," said Adrien.

"Well, curiosity could have killed the cat," said Plagg. "I want extra Camembert for this."

"Achoo! Now how do I transform back? The feathers are killing me," said Adrien.

"Say, 'Fan in'," said Plagg. "Now, what about my cheese?"

"Fan in! We'll get a lot for you from the kitchen on the way out. Stock up - it's going to be hungry times ahead. Marinette and I will have a hard time finding good jobs as high-school dropouts with fake identities."

Duusu appeared, weeping a stream of happy tears. "Master! You have saved me! And re-united me with my comrade Plagg!"

Nooroo, the Butterfly kwami, also appeared and thanked Adrien profusely.

"Aww, it was mostly my doing, and you're welcome," said Plagg.

* * *

Adrien gathered up all the Miraculouses and the book, found the way out, fed Plagg, transformed to Chat Noir, and called the police.

Once he was sure of the arrest of Gabriel and Emilie Agreste, he left the mansion, he hoped for good. He summoned Tikki out and asked for directions to find Marinette.

"You have some extra time," said Tikki. "I know where there's a Guardian who could take all the Miraculouses back, and the book. It would be good if you did."

"We may need to protect ourselves," said Adrien.

"Yes, but the city also may need protectors," said Duusu. "The Guardian can find new heroes with secret identities that are not compromised. We'll ask him to make sure they protect you, and your loved one too."

Adrien agreed, and Tikki gave him directions to the shop of Master Fu.

Once all the kwamis and the book were safely back with the Guardian, Adrien finally headed off to re-unite with Marinette. There was a whole new life ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope nobody minds that I re-used the costume jewelry trick from "The Pharoah".


	5. Fugitives

Adrien caught up with Marinette at a bus station on a route heading south. She had cut her hair short and dyed it blonde.

They embraced and kissed.

"Wait, you need a disguise," said Marinette before long.

Marinette handed Adrien a disguise kit and he quickly put it on in the men's room. It was a dark wig, sunglasses, and an emo-style change of clothes.

"I'm so glad to see you," said Marinette. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it. Or you wouldn't want to."

"Of course I want to," said Adrien. "I love you. I even tried to write you a love poem today."

Marinette giggled. "I know. I fished your rough draft out of the trash and read it."

"What? You're quite the stalker, my love."

"I wrote you an answering poem back and mailed it. I know you didn't get it because you had to escape. I'll tell it to you now:

"Your hair shines like the sun.  
Your eyes are gorgeous green.  
I look at you and wonder your innermost thoughts and dreams.  
Yes, your Valentine I will be, our love will be so true.  
Together for eternity, my heart belongs to you."

"That's really sweet. I'm so happy," said Adrien.

"Me too. By the way, you should call me Violetta now. And you're Jacques."

"You were so smart to be prepared to get out, Violetta. You know, since we're going to be living together, there are things we need to talk about."

"Yes, Jacques?"

"We're too young to get married, and too young to have kids."

"Yes."

"So we'll have to take it easy. It will be tempting."

Violetta blushed. "There are ways we could satisfy each other's needs without taking any risk of getting pregnant. If you want..."

"I want. Very much," said Jacques.

They kissed again.

"One other thing. I need to tell you what you escaped from. But first you need to know a secret about me. I was Chat Noir," said Jacques.

"What? You're kidding!" said Violetta.

"It's true. All this time I loved you as Chat Noir and you loved me as Adrien," said Jacques.

"You didn't tell me," said Violetta.

"I offered, but you told me not to," said Jacques.

"All that flirting you did as Chat, I thought you were just joking," said Violetta.

"I meant it, M'lady," said Jacques in his Chat Noir voice.

"Amazing," said Violetta. "You talk so differently as Chat."

"That's a side of me I didn't dare let show, as the perfect model son. It doesn't change anything, does it? We're still going away together?" asked Jacques.

"Of course we are," said Violetta.

"Then it's all good," said Jacques.

"Do you still have the Miraculouses?" asked Violetta.

"No, the kwamis told me about a Guardian who could take care of them, an old man with a goatee and a Hawaiian shirt.. I met him once before. I helped him stand up when he dropped his cane – but he didn't really need one. It was a test of my character, he said, before he gave me my Miraculous."

"I met him too, I think. I pushed him out of the way of a car. That must have been my test."

"He'll take good care of the kwamis. I'll miss Plagg, but he would have eaten us out of house and home with his demands for Camembert."

"I'll miss Tikki, too."

"Now let me tell you what Hawk Moth had in mind, and why it was so important that you had an escape plan."

Jacques told her what he had learned in the vampire chamber.

Violetta shivered and hugged him tightly. "Your parents – they're so horrible. You got them arrested?"

"I had to. Even without their powers they're still dangerous. There's another way to send villains after people without using magic butterflies. It's called money. My father's a vengeful man."

"We'll have to hide well. I was planning to go to Lyon. It's a big metropolitan area, a good place to get a new start," said Violetta.

"That sounds good to me," said Jacques.

"I wonder how my parents are doing?" said Violetta. "I'm hoping once we get settled that I can get in touch with them through my grandmother Gina. She's a world traveler and I know some of her contacts who would be discreet."

"I'd like to know how our school friends are doing," said Jacques. "We could check the LadyBlog and see what Alya has to say."

They opened the blog page using a new cell phone Violetta had with her. There was a single text message: "Due to the huge flood of dislikes and negative comments I am closing the LadyBlog for now. I stand by my friend. I know it looks like Ladybug and Char Noir betrayed us, but I'm sure there's a good explanation."

"What? What is going on?" asked Violetta.

"Let's check the news," said Jacques.

They moved near a TV in the corner. In a short time a relevant news item came on.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news. This is Nadja Chamack, with the latest on the Ladybug scandal. Gabriel Agreste and his wife were arrested today, allegedly Hawk Moth and his vampire accomplice.

"After an admission to the police by Gabriel Agreste that his son Adrien was Chat Noir, it has come out that his son was seen publicly dating Marinette Dupain-Cheng, aka Ladybug. This is what Mayor Bourgeois had to say.

The scene cut to the Mayor in his office. "I believe that this is an all-in-the-family hoax, a horrible publicity stunt. Hawk Moth had the power to give superpowers. It seems he created two superheroes, his fashion-model son and his son's girlfriend. He created a series of super villains for them to fight. The so-called heroes gained glory and publicity. Gabriel Fashions profited by selling fashion and jewelry lines inspired by the heroes.

"Ladybug had a convenient clean-up power to prevent permanent damage, but the disruption to the city has been terrible. Lawsuits and prosecutions are sure to follow."

The scene cut back to Nadja with pictures of the two young people behind her. "Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng appear to have fled the city together after the arrest of Mr. Agreste. They are wanted by the police for questioning. Please report if you see these fugitives."

They moved away from the television.

"This is horrible," said Violetta. "Everything we did is getting dragged through the mud. We can't run away together – it makes it look like this is all true."

"Do you really want to go back and face that?" asked Jacques. "We could both end up in jail. Our lives are going to be a nightmare."

"They already are. We can't live as fugitives hunted by the police. They'll catch us sooner or later. It may be months or years, but it will happen."

"We have new identities."

"We can't use them now. Our classmates will be questioned. Max and his AI robot Markov helped me set up those fake identities. I don't want them in trouble."

"All right. We have to face this," said Adrien.

"We'll clear our names," said Marinette.

"If we can. They all hate us now. It's funny. We saved the city, and now who's going to save us?" asked Adrien.

"We will. We're heroes, costume or no costume," said Marinette. "Heroes don't quit, and they don't run. And we still love each other. Nothing can change that."

"You might do better for yourself by cutting me loose," said Adrien. "You didn't know I was Chat Noir. You could say you were innocently duped."

"Never. I'll stick with you," said Marinette.

"And I'll stick with you," said Adrien.

"Someday when we're past all this, we'll get married?" asked Marinette.

"Consider us engaged," said Adrien.

"Alright. Let's find the next bus back," said Marinette.

Hand in hand they went to the ticket window.

The End


End file.
